Disposable absorbent article having breathable side flaps

ABSTRACT

A disposable absorbent article having a topsheet; a backsheet; and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, is described. The disposable absorbent article includes a first side edge and an opposing second side edge; a first side flap and an opposing second side flap, each of the first and second side flaps forming at least a portion of the wearer-facing surface, each of the first and second side flaps having a first layer and a second layer. The first layer has a first layer proximal edge and the second layer has a second layer proximal edge. The second layer proximal edge is disposed laterally outboard from the first layer proximal edge.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to disposable absorbent articles such asdisposable diapers and other articles intended for use on incontinentpersons.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Disposable absorbent articles are designed to absorb and contain bodilywaste in order to prevent soiling of the body and clothing of thewearer, as well as bedding or other objects with which the wearer comesinto contact.

As the usage of disposable absorbent articles has expanded, theircomplexity has increased with the incorporation of additional featuresserving to enhance their performance and appearance. The costs of thematerials and the costs of the manufacturing processes have alsoincreased in conjunction with the increase in complexity. As a result,the prices at which these articles are sold have risen to levels thatmany potential purchasers around the world cannot afford to pay. Thus, aneed exists for a simple disposable absorbent article.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawing figures, like reference numerals identifylike elements, which may or may not be identical in the severalexemplary embodiments that are depicted. Some of the figures may havebeen simplified by the omission of selected elements for the purpose ofmore clearly showing other elements. Such omissions of elements in somefigures are not necessarily indicative of the presence or absence ofparticular elements in any of the exemplary embodiments, except as maybe explicitly delineated in the corresponding written description.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an exemplary disposable absorbent article inthe form of a diaper 20, which is shown in its flat, uncontracted state,i.e., without the contraction induced by elastic members. In FIG. 1 ,the interior portion of the diaper 20 that faces inwardly toward thewearer and contacts the wearer is shown facing the viewer.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 1 in its flat,uncontracted state, with the exterior portion of the diaper 20 thatfaces outwardly away from the wearer shown facing the viewer.

FIG. 3 is a section view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 1 taken at the sectionline 3-3.

FIG. 4 is a section view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 1 taken at the sectionline 4-4.

FIG. 5 is a section view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 1 taken at the sectionline 5-5.

FIG. 6 is a section view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 1 taken at the sectionline 6-6.

FIG. 7 is a simplified side elevation view of an exemplary diaper 20being worn about a lower torso of a wearer.

FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 7 being wornabout the lower torso of the wearer.

FIG. 9 is a back elevation view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 7 being wornabout the lower torso of the wearer.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of an exemplary diaper 20 shown in its flat,uncontracted state, i.e., without the contraction induced by elasticmembers, before the side flaps 147 a and 147 b are formed by foldingportions of the chassis 100 laterally inward, i.e., toward thelongitudinal axis 42. In FIG. 10 , the interior portion of the diaper 20that faces inwardly toward the wearer and contacts the wearer is shownfacing the viewer.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 10 in its flat,uncontracted state, with the exterior portion of the diaper 20 thatfaces outwardly away from the wearer shown facing the viewer.

FIG. 12 is a section view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 10 taken at thesection line 12-12.

FIG. 13 is a section view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 10 taken at thesection line 13-13.

FIG. 14 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of the diaper 20of FIG. 1 taken at the section line 4-4.

FIG. 15 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of the diaper 20of FIG. 1 taken at the section line 4-4.

FIG. 16 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of the diaper 20of FIG. 1 taken at the section line 4-4.

FIG. 17 is plan view of an exemplary diaper 20 shown in its flat,uncontracted state, i.e., without the contraction induced by elasticmembers, in which portions of the chassis are left laid out flat whenother portions are folded laterally inward to form the side flaps 147 aand 147 b.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of an exemplary diaper 20 shown in its flat,uncontracted state, i.e., without the contraction induced by elasticmembers, in which portions of the chassis are folded over and attachedto the interior surface of the absorbent assembly to impart an hourglassshape to the diaper 20.

FIG. 19 is a section view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 18 taken at thesection line 19-19.

FIG. 20 is a plan view of an exemplary fragment of a formed webmaterial.

FIG. 21 is a simplified plan view of an exemplary disposable absorbentarticle in the form of a diaper 20, which is shown in its flat,uncontracted state, i.e., without the contraction induced by elasticmembers, having adhesive tape tabs 114 a and 114 b and a fasteningsurface 116 attached to the chassis. In FIG. 21 , the exterior portionof the diaper 20 that faces outwardly away from the wearer is shownfacing the viewer.

FIG. 22 is a plan view of an exemplary absorbent assembly 200. In FIG.22 , the absorbent assembly 200 is shown separately from a chassis 100to which it is attached in an exemplary diaper 20 and the interiorportion of the absorbent assembly 200 that faces inwardly toward thewearer and contacts the wearer is shown facing the viewer.

FIG. 23 is a section view of the absorbent assembly 200 of FIG. 22 takenat the section line 23-23.

FIG. 24 is a section view of the absorbent assembly 200 of FIG. 22 takenat the section line 24-24.

FIG. 25 is a section view of an exemplary absorbent assembly 200.

FIG. 26 is a section view of an exemplary absorbent assembly 200.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this description, the following terms have the following meanings:

The term “absorbent article” refers to a device that absorbs andcontains liquid, and more specifically, refers to a device that isplaced against or in proximity to the body of the wearer to absorb andcontain the various exudates discharged from the body.

The term “diaper” refers to an absorbent article that is generally wornby infants and incontinent persons about the lower torso so as toencircle the waist and the legs of the wearer and that is specificallyadapted to receive and contain urinary and fecal waste.

The term “disposable” refers to the nature of absorbent articles thatgenerally are not intended to be laundered or otherwise restored orreused as an absorbent article, i.e., they are intended to be discardedafter a single use and, preferably, to be recycled, composted orotherwise disposed of in an environmentally compatible manner.

The term “longitudinal” refers to a direction running from a waist edgeto an opposing waist edge of the article and generally parallel to themaximum linear dimension of the article. Directions within 45 degrees ofthe longitudinal direction are considered to be “longitudinal”.

The term “lateral” refers to a direction running from a side edge to anopposing side edge of the article and generally at a right angle to thelongitudinal direction. Directions within 45 degrees of the lateraldirection are considered to be “lateral”.

The term “disposed” refers to an element being attached and positionedin a particular place or position in a unitary structure with otherelements.

The term “attached” refers to elements being connected or united byfastening, adhering, bonding, etc. by any method suitable for theelements being attached together and their constituent materials. Manysuitable methods for attaching elements together are well-known,including adhesive bonding, pressure bonding, thermal bonding,mechanical fastening, etc. Such attachment methods may be used to attachelements together over a particular area either continuously orintermittently.

The term “cohesive” refers to the property of a material that sticks toitself but does not to any significant degree stick to other materials.

The terms “water-permeable” and “water-impermeable” refer to thepenetrability of materials in the context of the intended usage ofdisposable absorbent articles. Specifically, the term “water-permeable”refers to a layer or a layered structure having pores, openings, and/orinterconnected void spaces that permit liquid water to pass through itsthickness in the absence of a forcing pressure. Conversely, the term“water-impermeable” refers to a layer or a layered structure through thethickness of which liquid water cannot pass in the absence of a forcingpressure. A layer or a layered structure that is water-impermeableaccording to this definition may be permeable to water vapor, i.e., maybe “water vapor-permeable”. Such a water vapor-permeable layer orlayered structure is commonly known in the art as “breathable”. As iswell known in the art, a common method for measuring the permeability towater of the materials typically used in absorbent articles is ahydrostatic pressure test, also called a hydrostatic head test or simplya “hydrohead” test. Suitable well known compendial methods for hydroheadtesting are approved by INDA (formerly the International Nonwovens andDisposables Association, now The Association of the Nonwoven FabricsIndustry) and EDANA (European Disposables and Nonwovens Association).

The terms “proximal” and “distal” refer respectively to the location ofan element relatively near to or far from the center of a structure,e.g., the proximal edge of a longitudinally extending element is locatednearer to the longitudinal axis than the distal edge of the same elementis located relative to the same longitudinal axis.

The terms “interior” and “exterior” refer respectively to the locationof an element that is intended to be placed against or toward the bodyof a wearer when an absorbent article is worn and the location of anelement that is intended to be placed against or toward any clothingthat is worn over the absorbent article. Synonyms for “interior” and“exterior” include, respectively, “inner” and “outer”, as well as“inside” and “outside”. Also, when the absorbent article is orientedsuch that its interior faces upward, e.g., when it is laid out inpreparation for setting the wearer on top of it, synonyms include“upper” and “lower”, “above” and “below”, “over” and “under”, and “top”and “bottom”, respectively.

In the following description and in the drawing figures, variousstructural elements are identified by reference numerals withoutsuffixed letters when referring to the group as a whole and by the samereference numerals with suffixed letters when distinguishing between,for example, left and right members of the group. As an example, theside flaps as a group are identified by the reference numeral 147 whilethe individual left and right side flaps are respectively designated aselements 147 a and 147 b.

Description of Exemplary Diaper Embodiment

Reference is made to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 , FIG. 5 , FIG. 6, FIG. 7 , FIG. 8 , and FIG. 9 for this section of this description.

One end portion of the exemplary diaper 20 is configured as a frontwaist region 36. The longitudinally opposing end portion of the diaper20 is configured as a back waist region 38. An intermediate portion ofthe diaper 20 extending longitudinally between the front waist region 36and the back waist region 38 is configured as a crotch region 37.

The basic structure of the diaper 20 includes a chassis 100. The chassis100 has a laterally extending front waist edge 136 in the front waistregion 36 and a longitudinally opposing and laterally extending backwaist edge 138 in the back waist region 38. The chassis 100 has alongitudinally extending left side edge 137 a and a laterally opposingand longitudinally extending right side edge 137 b, both chassis sideedges extending longitudinally between the front waist edge 136 and theback waist edge 138. The chassis 100 has an interior surface 102 and anexterior surface 104. The exterior surface 104 is intended to be placedtoward any clothing that is worn over the diaper 20. The chassis 100also has a longitudinal axis 42 and a lateral axis 44. The longitudinalaxis 42 extends through the midpoint of the front waist edge 136 andthrough the midpoint of the back waist edge 138 of the chassis 100. Thelateral axis 44 extends through the midpoint of the left side edge 137 aand through the midpoint of the right side edge 137 b of the chassis100. The exemplary chassis 100 shown in FIG. 1 additionally haslongitudinally extending and laterally opposing water vapor-permeable,i.e., breathable, side flaps 147 a and 147 b that are described in moredetail below.

The basic structure of the diaper 20 also includes an absorbent assembly200 that is attached to the chassis 100. The absorbent assembly 200 hasa laterally extending front edge 236 in the front waist region 36 and alongitudinally opposing and laterally extending back edge 238 in theback waist region 38. The absorbent assembly 200 has a longitudinallyextending left side edge 237 a and a laterally opposing andlongitudinally extending right side edge 237 b, both absorbent assemblyside edges extending longitudinally between the front edge 236 and theback edge 238. The absorbent assembly 200 has an interior surface 202and an exterior surface 204. The absorbent assembly 200 may be disposedsymmetrically with respect to either or both of the longitudinal axis 42and the lateral axis 44. Alternatively, the absorbent assembly 200 maybe disposed asymmetrically with respect to either or both of thelongitudinal axis 42 and the lateral axis 44. For example, the absorbentassembly 200 shown in FIG. 1 is disposed symmetrically with respect tothe longitudinal axis 42 and asymmetrically with respect to the lateralaxis 44. In particular, the absorbent assembly 200 shown in FIG. 1 isdisposed asymmetrically toward the front waist region 36.

The respective front edge 236, back edge 238, left side edge 237 a, andright side edge 237 b of the absorbent assembly 200 may lie inward ofthe respective front waist edge 136, back waist edge 138, left side edge137 a, and right side edge 137 b of the chassis 100, as in the exemplarydiaper 20 shown in FIG. 1 . Such a configuration in which one or more ofthe edges of the absorbent assembly 200 lies inward of the correspondingedges of the chassis 100 may be desirable, for example, in order toallow the relatively more flexible layer or layers adjacent to the edgesof the chassis to conform to the body of the wearer and thereby formeffective gasket-like seals against the skin of the wearer without beingconstrained by a relatively thicker and relatively less flexibleabsorbent assembly. Alternatively, one or more of the edges of theabsorbent assembly 200 may coincide with the corresponding edge or edgesof the chassis 100.

When the diaper 20 is worn on the lower torso of a wearer, the frontwaist edge 136 and the back waist edge 138 encircle the waist of thewearer, while at the same time the side edges 137 a and 137 b encirclethe legs of the wearer. At the same time, the crotch region 37 isgenerally positioned between the legs of the wearer and the absorbentassembly 200 extends from the front waist region 36 through the crotchregion 37 to the back waist region 38.

Description of the Chassis

In FIG. 10 , FIG. 11 , FIG. 12 , and FIG. 13 , the exemplary chassis 100is shown laid out flat before the breathable side flaps 147 a and 147 bare formed by folding portions of the chassis 100 laterally inward,i.e., toward the longitudinal axis 42. In this condition of being laidout flat, the chassis 100 has a longitudinally extending left outer sideedge 155 a and a laterally opposing and longitudinally extending rightouter side edge 155 b. Both of these outer side edges extendlongitudinally between the front waist edge 136 and the back waist edge138. As is described in more detail below, when the breathable sideflaps 147 are formed by folding portions of the chassis 100 laterallyinward, the outer side edges 155 of the chassis form the proximal edges157 of the side flaps.

The chassis 100 includes a water-impermeable center sheet 26 having aleft side edge 126 a and a right side edge 126 b. Many suitablematerials for use as the center sheet 26 are well-known, including filmsof polyethylene and other polyolefins. Multi-layer center sheets, suchas laminates of a film and a nonwoven, are also well-known and may besuitable for use as the center sheet 26. Such a laminate center sheetmay be oriented with the nonwoven disposed exteriorly to provide thefeel and appearance of a more cloth-like outermost layer than would beprovided by using the film as the outermost layer.

The chassis 100 may, but need not, additionally include an inner liner22, as shown in FIG. 14 , FIG. 15 , and FIG. 16 . The inner liner 22 mayform a portion of the interior surface 102 of the chassis 100 that isintended to be placed against the body of the wearer. For example, theinner liner may cover and thereby lie interiorly of a portion or all ofthe absorbent assembly 200. The inner liner 22 preferably is formed of asoft material that will not irritate the skin of the wearer. Such aninner liner 22 may serve to isolate the skin of the wearer from aportion of the center sheet 26 as may be desirable, for example, whenthe diaper 20 is worn under conditions in which contact between the skinand a center sheet film could be uncomfortable. Many suitable materialsfor the inner liner 22 are well-known in the art, including rayon andsynthetic nonwovens such as spunbonded or carded polypropylene orpolyester.

The inner liner 22 may extend to the edges of the chassis 100.Alternatively, one or more of the edges of the inner liner 22 may lieinward of the edges of the chassis 100. For example, with reference tothe exemplary diaper 20 shown in FIG. 1 , only the portions of thecenter sheet 26 lying in the gaps between the front edge 236 of theabsorbent assembly 200 and the front waist edge 136 of the chassis 100and between the back edge 238 of the absorbent assembly 200 and the backwaist edge 138 of the chassis 100 would need to be covered in order toisolate the skin of the wearer from the center sheet 26. Therefore, alaterally extending strip of the inner liner 22 disposed in the gap inthe front waist region 36 and a similar laterally extending strip of theinner liner 22 disposed in the gap in the back waist region 38 maysuffice.

The chassis 100 includes longitudinally extending laterally opposingside sheets 60 attached to the center sheet 26 adjacent to its sideedges 126. For example, the side sheets may be attached to the centersheet by continuous, water impermeable bonds or seals made by any ofseveral known methods, such as the application of adhesives, mechanicalbonding, and thermal bonding, or a combination of known bonding methods.

When the exemplary chassis 100 is laid out flat, each side sheet 60overlaps the center sheet 26 such that the proximal edge 61 a of theleft side sheet 60 a lies laterally inward of the left side edge 126 aof the center sheet 26 and the proximal edge 61 b of the right sidesheet 60 b lies laterally inward of the right side edge 126 b of thecenter sheet 26. Each side sheet 60 extends laterally outwardly from itsproximal edge 61 past the respective side edge 126 of the center sheet26 to its distal edge 62. Thus, the distal edges 62 of the side sheets60 form the outer side edges 155 of the chassis 100 in this laid outflat condition.

Each side sheet 60 may be doubled over substantially its entire area,either by folding the side sheet or by adding a second layer to the sidesheet. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 , FIG. 5 , and FIG. 6 ,each side flap 147 may include two layers 63 and 64 of the respectivedoubled side sheet 60 and the respective flap elastic member may besandwiched between the two layers. In this embodiment, the distal edge62 of each side sheet 60 is formed where the side sheet is folded fordoubling. The proximal edge 61 of each side sheet 60 is doubled by thedoubling of the side sheet. Such a doubled side sheet 60 may be attachedto the interior surface 122 of the center sheet 26 adjacent to theproximal edge 61 c of its first layer 63 and attached to the exteriorsurface 124 of the center sheet 26 adjacent to the proximal edge 61 d ofits second layer 64 as shown in FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 , FIG. 5 , and FIG. 6 .

Alternatively, such a doubled side sheet 60 may be attached to eitherthe exterior surface 124 or the interior surface 122 of the center sheet26 adjacent to both of its proximal edges 61. For example, each of thedoubled side sheets 60 shown in FIG. 14 is attached to the exteriorsurface 124 of the center sheet 26 adjacent to both of its proximaledges 61. Another example is shown in FIG. 15 , in which each of thedoubled side sheets 60 is attached to the exterior surface 124 of thecenter sheet 26 adjacent to the proximal edge 61 c of its first layer 63and also attached to itself adjacent to both the proximal edge 61 c ofits first layer 63 and the proximal edge 61 d of its second layer 64 byoverlapping its second layer 64 onto its first layer 63.

The layers of each doubled side sheet 60 may remain unattached to eachother and thus free to contact each other or separate from each other.Alternatively, the layers of each doubled side sheet 60 may be attachedtogether laterally continuously or intermittently between the proximaledges 61 and the proximal edge 157 of the side flap 147. For example,the layers of each doubled side sheet 60 may be attached together byadhesives, mechanical bonds, or thermal bonds, or by a combination ofknown bonding methods.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 , FIG. 4 , and FIG.5 , the layers are attached together in laterally spaced attachmentzones 160 extending longitudinally through the crotch region 37 and intothe waist regions 36 and 38. Such longitudinally extending attachmenttogether prevents the layers from separating and thereby presenting anundesirable baggy or blousy appearance around the legs of the wearer, aswell as tending to stiffen the side flaps 147 slightly and therebyhelping to ensure their proper fit against the body.

Alternatively, or in addition, the layers of the each doubled side sheet60 may be attached together in the waist regions 36 and 38 adjacent tothe waist edges 136 and 138, for example in laterally extendingattachment zones 159 as shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 , and FIG. 6 .This lateral attachment may be laterally intermittent or laterallycontinuous. When such laterally extending attachment is continuous, itprevents the layers from separating and thereby presenting anundesirable unfinished appearance at the waist edges, as well aspreventing the leakage at the waist edge of any liquid waste frombetween the layers.

Alternatively, each side sheet 60 may have the form of a single layer.For example, as shown in FIG. 16 , a side sheet 60 may be attachedadjacent to its proximal edge 61 onto either the interior surface 122 orthe exterior surface 124 of the center sheet 26 and incorporated into aside flap 147. In this embodiment, the side flap 147 includes only asingle layer of the side sheet 60 everywhere except along the proximaledge 157 of the side flap, where the side sheet is doubled to form afolded hem 170 to sandwich a flap elastic member.

Exemplary materials suitable for use in the side sheets 60 includepolyolefinic films, microporous or other breathable formed films,breathable monolithic films, and hydrophobic nonwovens. Suitablehydrophobic nonwovens include SM (spunbond meltblown), SMS (spunbondmeltblown spunbond), and SMMS (spunbond meltblown meltblown spunbond)composites. The materials of the water vapor-permeable side sheets maybe selected to balance overall product economics and function. Forexample, a relatively more expensive nonwoven material having arelatively high basis weight may provide an acceptable level ofwater-impermeability for use in a single layer side flap construction.Alternatively, a relatively less expensive nonwoven having a relativelylower basis weight may provide the requisite level ofwater-impermeability only if it is doubled, thereby requiring arelatively greater area of material. As another example, a microporousfilm may provide a relatively optimal combination ofwater-impermeability and material cost.

As shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 , FIG. 5 , and FIG. 6 ,the exemplary chassis 100 has longitudinally extending and laterallyopposing breathable side flaps 147 a and 147 b that are disposed on theinterior portion of the diaper 20 that faces inwardly toward the wearerand contacts the wearer. The side flaps are formed by folding portionsof the chassis 100 including the water vapor-permeable side sheets 60laterally inward, i.e., toward the longitudinal axis 42, to form boththe respective side flaps 147 a and 147 b and the side edges 137 a and137 b of the chassis 100. The side sheets 60 of the chassis 100 may befolded laterally inward as shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 ,FIG. 5 , and FIG. 6 to form the side flaps. Alternatively, the chassismay be folded such that each side flap includes the respective sidesheet 60 and a portion of the center sheet 26, as shown in FIG. 19 . Ineither configuration, at least a portion of each side flap is breathabledue to its inclusion of at least a portion of the respective watervapor-permeable side sheet.

The chassis 100 may simply be folded loosely or may be creased along aportion of each of its side edges 137. For example, it may be desirableto form creases along portions of the side edges 137 in the crotchregion 37 in order to impart a more finished appearance to the diaper20. Alternatively or in addition to creasing, a portion of each of thefolded side flaps 147 adjacent to the side edges 137 may be attached tothe interior surface 102 of the chassis 100 to achieve a similar result.

Each side flap 147 has a proximal edge 157. In the exemplary diaper 20shown in FIG. 1 , the side flaps 147 overlap the absorbent assembly 200,i.e., the proximal edges 157 lie laterally inward of the respective sideedges 237 of the absorbent assembly 200. Such an overlappedconfiguration may be desirable in order to impart a more finishedappearance to the diaper 20 than that imparted by a non-overlappedconfiguration. Alternatively, the side flaps 147 may not overlap theabsorbent assembly 200, i.e., the proximal edges 157 may lie laterallyoutward of the respective side edges 237 of the absorbent assembly 200.

In the exemplary chassis 100 shown in FIG. 1 , the side flaps 147 extendthe full length of the chassis 100 between the front waist edge 136 andthe back waist edge 138. Such a full length configuration may bedesirable in order to minimize the amount of waste material and thedifficulty associated with the manufacture of the diaper 20, especiallywhen the method used to manufacture the diaper 20 requires theintroduction of the material or materials for the chassis 100 in theform of a continuous web or multiple continuous webs. Alternatively, theside flaps may be shorter and extend less than the full distance betweenthe front waist edge 136 and the back waist edge 138. Such a shorterconfiguration may be desirable in order to minimize the total amount ofmaterial used in the manufacture of the diaper 20.

Each of the breathable side flaps 147 is attached to the interiorsurface 102 of the chassis 100 in attachment zones located in the frontwaist region 36 and in the back waist region 38. For example, in thechassis 100 shown in FIG. 1 , the side flaps 147 are attached to theinterior surface 102 of the chassis 100 in the adhesive attachment zonesthat are shown there and that are more clearly visible in FIG. 10 ,where the chassis 100 is shown laid out flat before the side flaps 147are formed. In particular, each side flap 147 is attached to theinterior surface 102 of the chassis 100 in an attachment zone 153adjacent to the front waist edge 136 and in a longitudinally opposingattachment zone 154 adjacent to the back waist edge 138. The attachmentzones may have equal areas or may be unequal in area. For example, thefront attachment zones 153 may be of one size and the back attachmentzones 154 may be of another size.

Alternatively, each attachment zone may extend laterally across the fullwidth of the respective side flap. For example, a laterally orientedadhesive attachment zone may extend laterally from the chassis side edge137 to the side flap proximal edge 157 and thereby attach the entirewidth of the side flap 147 adjacent to the front waist edge 136 to theinterior surface 102 of the chassis 100. In embodiments in which thefront edge 236 or the back edge 238 of the absorbent assembly 200coincides with the respective front waist edge 136 or back waist edge138 of the chassis 100 and the side flaps 147 overlap the absorbentassembly 200, the side flaps 147 may be attached to the absorbentassembly 200 instead of, or in addition to, being attached to theinterior surface 102 of the chassis 100.

Between the attachment zones, the proximal edges 157 of the side flaps147 remain free, i.e., are not attached to the interior surface 102 ofthe chassis 100 or to the absorbent assembly 200. Also between theattachment zones, each breathable side flap preferably includes alongitudinally extensible flap elastic member that is attached adjacentto the proximal edge of the side flap by any of many well-known means.Each such flap elastic member may be attached over its entire length orover only a portion of its length. For example, such a flap elasticmember may be attached only at or near its longitudinally opposing endsand may be unattached at the middle of its length. Such a flap elasticmember may be disposed in the crotch region 37 and may extend into oneor both of the front waist region 36 and the back waist region 38. Forexample, in the exemplary chassis 100 shown in FIG. 1 , an elasticstrand 167 a is attached adjacent to the proximal edge 157 a of the leftside flap 147 a and extends into both the front waist region 36 and theback waist region 38. Similarly, an elastic strand 167 b is attachedadjacent to the proximal edge 157 b of the right side flap 147 b andextends into both the front waist region 36 and the back waist region38.

Each flap elastic member may be enclosed inside a folded hem. Forexample, in the exemplary chassis 100 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , eachelastic strand 167 is enclosed inside a hem 170 formed adjacent to theproximal edge 157 of the respective side flap 147. Alternatively, theflap elastic member may be sandwiched between two layers of the chassis,e.g., between the layers of the side flap or between the side flap and aseparate material such as an inner liner. As another alternative, theflap elastic member may be attached on a surface of the chassis 100 andremain exposed.

When stretched, the flap elastic member adjacent to each side flap edgeallows the side flap edge to extend to the flat uncontracted length ofthe chassis, e.g., the length of the chassis 100, as shown in FIG. 1 .When allowed to relax, the flap elastic member contracts to gather theportion of the side flap edge along which the flap elastic member isattached and thereby make the relaxed length of the side flap edge lessthan the flat uncontracted length of the chassis. Thus, when theexemplary diaper 20 is in a relaxed condition, each elastic strand 167contracts to gather the proximal edge 157 of the respective side flap147. The contractive forces of the elastic strands 167 are transmittedat the respective front attachment zones 153 to the interior surface 102of the chassis 100 at the front waist region 36. Similarly, thecontractive forces of the elastic strands 167 are transmitted at therespective back attachment zones 154 to the interior surface 102 of thechassis 100 at the back waist region 38. These contractive forces pullthe front waist region 36 and the back waist region 38 toward each otherand thereby bend the diaper 20 into a “U” shape in which the interior ofthe “U” shape is formed by the portions of the diaper 20 that areintended to be placed toward the body of the wearer. Because theproximal edge 157 remains free between the attachment zones, thecontractive force of the elastic strand 167 lifts the proximal edge 157away from the interior surface 102 of the chassis 100. This lifting ofthe proximal edges 157 when the diaper 20 is in the relaxed conditionlifts the side flaps 147 into position to serve as side barriersadjacent to the side edges 237 of the absorbent assembly 200.

When the diaper 20 is worn, the relaxed “U” shape generally conforms tothe body of the wearer such that the front waist region 36 and the backwaist region 38 can be fastened together to encircle the waist and thelegs of the wearer. When the diaper 20 is worn in this manner, theelastic strands 167 tend to hold the lifted proximal edges 157 of theside flaps 147 in contact with the body of the wearer and thereby formseals to help prevent the leakage of deposited bodily waste out of thediaper 20. The lateral spacing of the lifted proximal edges 157 isselected to allow the deposit of bodily wastes from the lower torso ofthe wearer into the space between the lifted side flaps 147 and therebydirectly onto the absorbent assembly 200. The width of each of the sideflaps 147 in effect becomes its height when the free portion of itsproximal edge is lifted and the side flap serves as a side barrier toleakage. This height preferably is selected to allow the lifted proximaledges 157 to fit into the leg creases of the body of the wearer at thesame time as the absorbent assembly 200 is held in contact with thebody.

In the finished diaper, the chassis may have a generally rectangularshape, as in the exemplary diaper 20 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . Such agenerally rectangular configuration may be desirable in order tominimize the amount of waste material and the difficulty associated withthe manufacture of the diaper 20. Alternatively, the chassis may haveside edges 137 a and 137 b that are not straight, but instead are curvedand/or notched, thereby giving an overall shape in plan view of anhourglass or of an “I” to the diaper 20. This shape may help to conformthe diaper 20 to the contour of the wearer's body in use. Such a shapemay also be desirable in order to impart a tailored appearance to thediaper 20 when it is worn and/or to impart an impression that the diaper20 will fit comfortably between the legs of a wearer. Any one of manywell-known ways may be used to form a non-rectangular configuration ofthe chassis. For example, laterally distal portions may be removed fromthe chassis to make its lateral dimension at and adjacent to the lateralaxis 44 smaller than its lateral dimension at and adjacent to the frontwaist edge 136 and smaller than its lateral dimension at and adjacent tothe back waist edge 138, i.e., to make the chassis narrower in thecrotch region 37 than at the waist edges 136 and 138. Alternatively, aportion of each of the side edges 137 a and 137 b may be foldedlaterally inward in order to achieve the same result. Such foldedportions of the side edges 137 a and 137 b may be creased or attached,or both creased and attached, in order to prevent their unfoldment.

An exemplary form of a non-rectangular configuration of the chassis isshown in FIG. 17 . As shown in this figure, portions of the chassisextending laterally between the outer side edges and the respective sideedges in one or both of the waist regions may be left laid out flat,i.e., may remain unfolded, when other portions are folded laterallyinward to form the side flaps. For example, as shown in FIG. 17 , theportions 106 a and 106 b extending longitudinally from the front waistedge 136 toward the lateral axis 44 in the front waist region 36 andextending laterally between each of the outer side edges 155 and therespective side edges 137 may be left laid out flat, i.e., may remainunfolded. Similarly, the portions 108 a and 108 b extendinglongitudinally from the back waist edge 138 toward the lateral axis 44in the back waist region 38 and extending laterally between each of theouter side edges 155 and the respective side edges 137 may be left laidout flat, i.e., may remain unfolded. Other portions extendinglongitudinally between the portions that remain unfolded and through thecrotch region 37 may be folded laterally inward to form the side flaps147. The portions 106 and the portions 108 form “ears” that projectlaterally outward from each of the waist regions of the diaper. Theseears project laterally outward beyond the inward-folded portions andimpart an “I” shape to the diaper, as shown in FIG. 17 . It is notnecessary that portions remain unfolded at both ends as shown in FIG. 17. For example, the portions 106 in the front waist region 36 may remainunfolded and only the portions 108 in the back waist region 38 may befolded laterally inward, or vice versa, in some embodiments.

An alternative way to form an “I”-shaped non-rectangular configurationof the chassis as shown in FIG. 17 is to form the chassis in the “I”shape and attach an additional layer or layers to the interior surfaceof the “I”-shaped chassis at or adjacent to each of the side edges 137of the chassis 100 to form the respective side flaps 147. In embodimentsin which the side flaps are formed by attaching an additional layer orlayers to the chassis, each of the additional layer or layers may beattached at or adjacent to its laterally distal edge.

Another exemplary way to form a non-rectangular configuration of thechassis is shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 . As shown in these figures,laterally opposing portions 107 a and 107 b of the chassis between eachof the side edges 137 and the respective proximal edges 157 of the sideflaps 147 may be folded laterally inward in the crotch region 37 alongrespective diagonal fold lines 105 a, 105 b, 105 c, and 105 d such thateach of the folded portions 107 of the chassis overlaps the absorbentassembly 200 in the crotch region 37. The interior surface 102 of eachof the folded portions 107 may be attached to the interior surface 202of the absorbent assembly in the crotch region 37 at attachment zones109 a and 109 b. This folding and attachment forms “W” shaped folds 112a and 112 b in the chassis in the crotch region 37 as shown in FIG. 19 ,while retaining the configuration of the waist regions 36 and 38 asshown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 . The overall effect on the shape of thechassis is to form an hourglass-shaped configuration as shown in FIG. 18. The attachment zones 109 may be disposed symmetrically with respect toeither or both of the longitudinal axis 42 and the lateral axis 44.Alternatively, the attachment zones 109 may be disposed asymmetricallywith respect to either or both of the longitudinal axis 42 and thelateral axis 44. For example, the attachment zones 109 a and 109 b shownin FIG. 18 are disposed symmetrically with respect to the longitudinalaxis 42 and asymmetrically with respect to the lateral axis 44. Inparticular, the attachment zones 109 a and 109 b shown in FIG. 1 aredisposed asymmetrically toward the front waist region 36.

Alternatively, the laterally opposing portions 107 a and 107 b of thechassis may be folded laterally inward in one or both of the waistregions in addition to being folded laterally inward in the crotchregion. For example, in order to simplify the manufacture of the diaper,the laterally opposing portions 107 a and 107 b of the chassis may befolded laterally inward over their entire longitudinal lengths. Theinterior surface 102 of each of the folded portions 107 a and 107 b maybe attached to the interior surface 202 of the absorbent assembly in thecrotch region 37 at attachment zones 109 a and 109 b. This folding andattachment forms “W” shaped folds 112 a and 112 b in the chassis asshown in FIG. 19 over the entire longitudinal lengths of the laterallyopposing portions 107 a and 107 b of the chassis. An hourglass shape maysubsequently be imparted to the chassis when the laterally opposingportions are laterally extended by unfolding at their longitudinallydistal ends to prepare the disposable diaper for use in theconfiguration shown in FIG. 18 .

A portion or the whole of the chassis 100 may be made extensible to adegree greater than the inherent extensibility of the material ormaterials from which the chassis is made. The additional extensibilitymay be desirable in order to allow the chassis 100 to conform to thebody of a wearer during movement by the wearer. The additionalextensibility may also be desirable, for example, in order to allow theuser of a diaper 20 including a chassis 100 having a particular sizebefore extension to extend the front waist region 36, the back waistregion 38, or both waist regions of the chassis 100 to encircle thewaist of an individual wearer whose waist circumference falls within apredefined range, i.e., to tailor the diaper to the individual wearer.Such extension of the waist region or regions may give the diaper agenerally hourglass shape, so long as the crotch region 37 is extendedto a relatively lesser degree than the waist region or regions, and mayimpart a tailored appearance to the diaper 20 when it is worn. Inaddition, the additional extensibility may be desirable in order tominimize the cost of the diaper. For example, an amount of material thatwould otherwise be sufficient only to make a relatively smaller diaperlacking this extensibility can be used to make a diaper capable of beingextended to fit a wearer larger than the smaller diaper would fit. Inother words, a lesser amount of material is needed in order to make adiaper capable of being properly fit onto a given size of a wearer whenthe material is made extensible as described. The portion of the chassisin one of the waist regions may be made laterally extensible to amaximum extensibility greater than a maximum extensibility of anotherportion of the chassis in the crotch region such that a lateralextension of each of the portions to its maximum extensibility impartsan hourglass shape to the chassis.

Additional extensibility in the chassis 100 in the lateral direction isrelatively more useful than additional extensibility in the longitudinaldirection because the abdomen of the wearer is likely to expand when thewearer changes posture from standing to sitting and the correspondingabdominal expansion increases the circumference that is encircled by thewaist edges of the chassis 100, necessitating the lateral extension ofthe waist region or regions.

Additional lateral extensibility in the chassis 100 may be provided in avariety of ways. For example, a material or materials from which thechassis 100 is made may be pleated by any of many known methods.Alternatively, all or a portion of the chassis may be made of a formedweb material or a formed laminate of web materials like those describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,801 issued on May 21, 1996 in the name ofChappell et al. An exemplary fragment 300 of such a formed web material305 is shown in FIG. 20 . This formed web material 305 includes distinctlaterally extending regions 310 in which the original material has beenaltered by embossing or another method of deformation to create apattern of generally longitudinally oriented alternating ridges 312 andvalleys 314. The formed web material 305 also includes laterallyextending unaltered regions 316 located between the laterally extendingaltered regions 310.

The front laterally central portion 117 and the back laterally centralportion 118 of the chassis 100 between the attachment zones 153 and 154may have a different range of extensibility from the portions of thechassis in the attachment zones. Additionally or alternatively, thelaterally central portions 117 and 118 may be extensible to a greater orlesser degree when subjected to a given level of opposing tensileforces, i.e., may be more easily or less easily extensible, than theportions of the chassis in the attachment zones. For example, if thechassis is made uniformly extensible across its entire width prior tothe formation of the side flaps, the double layering in the areas of theattachment zones after the formation of the side flaps may have aneffect of decreasing the degree of lateral extensibility of those areasunder a given level of opposing tensile forces, such as by the sideflaps acting as parallel “springs” that must be extended in order toextend the underlying attached portion of the chassis. As anotherexample, the altered regions in the laterally central portions of thechassis may be deformed to a greater or a lesser degree than the alteredregions in the attachment zones to render the laterally central portionsmore easily or less easily extensible than the respective portions inthe attachment zones.

The front waist region 36 and the back waist region 38 can be fastenedtogether to encircle the waist and the legs of the wearer in manywell-known ways. For example, separate fastening devices such as safetypins, separate tapes, a separate tie strap or straps, and/or a separatebelt can be used for this purpose. Alternatively or in addition,fastening elements can be incorporated into the chassis 100 to enable auser to apply the diaper 20 to the body of the wearer without, or inconjunction with, any separate fastening devices. Many suitable types ofsuch incorporated fastening elements are well-known, including, forexample, tapes, adhesives, adhesive tape tabs, ties, buttons, hooks,loops, snap fasteners, other forms of mechanical fasteners, cohesivepatches, etc. These incorporated fastening elements may projectlaterally outward, i.e., away from the longitudinal axis 42 beyond oneor both of the side edges 137 a and 137 b and/or may projectlongitudinally outward, i.e., away from the lateral axis 44 beyond oneor both of the waist edges 136 and 138 or they may lie entirely insidethe edges of the diaper 20.

For example, as shown in FIG. 21 , laterally opposing adhesive tape tabs114 a and 114 b may be attached to the chassis 100 at or adjacent to theside edges 137 a and 137 b of the diaper 20. The adhesive tape tabs 114a and 114 b shown in FIG. 21 project laterally outward from therespective side edges 137 a and 137 b in the back waist region 38. Inuse, the adhesive tape tabs 114 a and 114 b shown in FIG. 21 may beadhered to the exterior surface 104 of the chassis 100 in the frontwaist region 36 to fasten the back waist region 38 to the front waistregion 36 in a back-over-front manner. Alternatively, similar adhesivetape tabs may be attached to the chassis 100 in the front waist region36 and used to fasten the front waist region 36 to the back waist region38 in a front-over-back manner. Suitable adhesive tapes are availablefrom the 3M Corporation of St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A., under thedesignation of XMF99121. Suitable configurations of adhesive tape tabsare disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/770,043 filed onFeb. 2, 2004.

When a laminate center sheet is used and is oriented with the nonwovendisposed exteriorly, some forms of mechanical fasteners that typicallyrequire specific mating fastener elements, such as hooks that mate withloops, may be configured to engage with the nonwoven and thereby makethe inclusion of the specific mating fastener element unnecessary.Alternatively, when a nonwoven material is used to form the side flaps,a mechanical fastener such as the aforementioned hooks may be positionedon the exterior surface of the front waist region, such that when theback waist region of the diaper is brought into an overlappingconfiguration with the front waist region, the hook material engages thenonwoven material of the side flap.

Optionally, a fastening sheet 116 may be attached onto the exteriorsurface 104 of the chassis 100 in the front waist region 36 as shown inFIG. 21 . The fastening sheet 116, shown in FIG. 21 lies entirely insidethe edges of the diaper 20. Alternatively, two or more discretefastening sheets may be attached onto the exterior surface of thechassis, instead of a single fastening sheet. For example, two laterallyopposing fastening sheets may be attached in locations approximatelycorresponding to the left and right portions of the single fasteningsheet 116. When a fastening sheet is provided, the adhesive tape tabsmay be adhered to the fastening sheet to fasten the back waist region 38and the front waist region 36 together. The fastening sheet may beformed of a material used elsewhere in the diaper, such as a film or anonwoven. In embodiments in which the chassis is extensible, it ispreferred that any fastening sheet also be extensible such that thefastening sheet will not restrict the extensibility of the portion ofthe chassis onto which it is attached. For example, an extensiblenonwoven may be used for the fastening sheet.

The fastening sheet serves to distribute the tensile force transmittedby each of the adhesive tape tabs over an area of the center sheet 26that is larger than the adhered area of the adhesive tape tab. Inaddition, when a single fastening sheet such as fastening sheet 116 inFIG. 21 is used, the fastening sheet may, itself, bear a portion of thetensile force between the laterally opposing adhesive tape tabs andthereby relieve a portion of the force exerted on the center sheet.Thus, the incorporation of such a fastening sheet may be desirable, forexample, in order to make it possible to use a relatively inexpensiveand relatively weak material for the center sheet 26. The fasteningsheet may be formed of a material having greater strength than thecenter sheet. Such a stronger material may be more expensive per unitarea than the center sheet, but the fastening sheet may be relativelysmaller than the center sheet. Therefore, the total cost of a diaperhaving a fastening sheet may be less than the total cost of a diaperhaving a center sheet having sufficient strength for adhesive tape tabsto be adhered directly to the exterior surface of the center sheet.

As another example, cohesive fastening elements may be used. Exemplaryfastening elements in the form of cohesive fastening patches, such asthe patches 110 and 120 shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 , and FIG. 6may be formed of an inherently crystalline water-based syntheticelastomer to which a tackifying agent has been added to disrupt thepolycrystalline structure and thereby render the elastomer cohesive.Such synthetic cohesive products are available from Andover CoatedProducts, Incorporated, of Salisbury, Massachusetts, U.S.A. and aredescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,424 issued on Dec. 5, 2000 in the nameof Taylor. Cohesive fastening patches may be disposed on the exteriorand/or interior surfaces of the chassis in arrangements that allowexclusively for either back-over-front fastening or front-over-backfastening of the waist regions together. Alternatively, the cohesivefastening patches may be disposed in a reversible configuration that isadapted to provide the user of the diaper with both options forfastening, i.e., either back-over-front or front-over-back, in the samediaper, according to personal preference. Suitable configurations ofcohesive fastening elements are disclosed in U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/770,043 filed on Feb. 2, 2004.

Description of the Absorbent Assembly

As shown in FIG. 22 , FIG. 23 , and FIG. 24 , the absorbent assembly 200includes an absorbent core 250 that serves to absorb and retain liquidbodily waste materials. The absorbent core 250 has a laterally extendingfront edge 256 and a longitudinally opposing and laterally extendingback edge 258. The absorbent core 250 also has a longitudinallyextending left side edge 257 a and a laterally opposing andlongitudinally extending right side edge 257 b, both absorbent core sideedges extending longitudinally between the front edge 256 and the backedge 258. The absorbent core 250 also has an interior surface 252 and anexterior surface 254.

The absorbent assembly 200 may be attached to the chassis 100 over anypart or the whole of the area of the absorbent assembly 200. Preferably,the absorbent assembly 200 is attached on its exterior surface 204 tothe chassis 100 in a cruciform attachment pattern, i.e., in anattachment pattern that forms or is arranged in a cross or “+” shape.The cruciform attachment pattern may be contiguous, i.e., all of itsportions may be touching or connected throughout the pattern in anunbroken sequence. Alternatively, the cruciform attachment pattern mayinclude detached portions and thereby lack contiguity but still bearranged such that the shape of the overall pattern is a cruciform. Forexample, a discontiguous cruciform attachment pattern may include alongitudinally extending portion disposed along the longitudinal axisand separate left and right laterally distal portions disposed along oradjacent to the lateral axis and thereby form a cruciform as the shapeof the overall pattern.

An exemplary contiguous cruciform attachment pattern 210 is shown inFIG. 22 , FIG. 23 , and FIG. 24 . The portions of the chassis 100 thatlie outside such a cruciform attachment pattern are not restrained byattachment to the absorbent assembly 200 and therefore remainextensible. In particular, a relatively narrow longitudinally extendingportion 212 of a cruciform attachment pattern 210 like that shown inFIG. 24 leaves the majority of the width of the chassis 100 in the frontwaist region 36 and in the back waist region 38 freely extensible andthereby allows extension of the chassis 100 in the lateral direction inthese regions. A relatively wide laterally extending portion 214 of acruciform attachment pattern 210 like that shown in FIG. 22 and FIG. 23prevents the portion of the chassis 100 in the crotch region 37 to whichthe absorbent assembly 200 is attached from shifting relative to theabsorbent assembly 200 in that region. A relatively wide laterallyextending portion 214 of a cruciform attachment pattern 210 may alsocontribute to the effectiveness and positioning of the side flaps 147 aand 147 b when the elastic strands 167 a and 167 b lift the proximaledges 157 a and 157 b into contact with the body of the wearer. Forexample, if the absorbent assembly was attached only along thelongitudinal centerline, the absorbent assembly could be compressed bythe legs to a smaller lateral dimension than desired. This narrowing ofthe absorbent assembly would in turn allow the chassis 100 in the crotchregion 37 to narrow, i.e., allow the left side edge 137 a and/or theright side edge 137 b to move toward the longitudinal axis 42. Suchnarrowing of the chassis 100 would increase the likelihood that the sideflaps 147 a and 147 b would distort and fail to maintain contact withthe body and/or become improperly positioned. However, because therelatively wide laterally extending portion 214 of the cruciformattachment pattern 210 restrains the chassis 100 over a relatively wideportion of the width of the crotch region 37, the side flaps 147 aremore likely to remain properly positioned while being lifted by theelastic strands 167.

Within the extent of the cruciform attachment pattern 210, the absorbentassembly 200 may be attached to the chassis 100 continuously orintermittently. For example, a film of an adhesive may be appliedcontinuously over the entire area of the cruciform attachment patternand then used to continuously attach the absorbent assembly to thechassis. As an alternative example, an adhesive may be applieddiscontinuously at and inside the boundaries of the cruciform attachmentpattern, such as in the form of dots, stripes, beads, spirals, etc., andthen used to attach the absorbent assembly to the chassis.

The cruciform attachment pattern 210 may be disposed symmetrically withrespect to either or both of the longitudinal axis 42 and the lateralaxis 44 of the chassis 100. Alternatively, the cruciform attachmentpattern 210 may be disposed asymmetrically with respect to either orboth of the longitudinal axis 42 and the lateral axis 44. In addition,the cruciform attachment pattern 210 may be disposed symmetrically withrespect to either or both of the side edges 237 and the front edge 236and the back edge 238 of the absorbent assembly 200. Alternatively, thecruciform attachment pattern 210 may be disposed asymmetrically withrespect to either or both of the side edges 237 and front edge 236 andback edge 238.

Suitable configurations of cruciform attachment patterns are disclosedin U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/880,128 filed on Jun. 29, 2004.

The absorbent core 250 may be disposed between a lower covering sheetthat is disposed on the exterior face of the absorbent core 250 and anupper covering sheet that is disposed on the interior face of theabsorbent core 250. Such an upper covering sheet and lower coveringsheet may be attached together to contain the absorbent core 250 betweenthem and thereby form the absorbent assembly 200. For example, in theexemplary absorbent assembly 200 shown in FIG. 22 , FIG. 23 , and FIG.24 , an upper covering sheet 24 and a lower covering sheet 25 areattached together at or adjacent to the side edges 237 of the absorbentassembly 200 in longitudinally extending adhesive attachment zones 29 aand 29 b. Alternatively, the upper covering sheet 24 and the lowercovering sheet 25 may be attached together in places other than the sideedges 237, e.g., at or adjacent to the end edges 236 and 238 of theabsorbent assembly 200, or at or adjacent to both the end edges 236 and238 and the side edges 237. Both the upper covering sheet and the lowercovering sheet are water vapor-permeable, i.e., breathable.

The upper covering sheet 24 is water-permeable and allows liquid wasteto pass through to the absorbent core 250, where the liquid waste isabsorbed. The lower covering sheet 25 may be water-impermeable. However,the lower covering sheet 25 preferably is water-permeable. Inembodiments in which both the upper covering sheet 24 and the lowercovering sheet 25 are water-permeable, any liquid waste that isdeposited onto the upper covering sheet 24 but does not pass through theupper covering sheet 24 to the absorbent core 250 can flow around anedge of the absorbent assembly 200 to reach the lower covering sheet 25and then pass through the lower covering sheet 25 to the absorbent core250.

The upper covering sheet 24 may form the interior surface 202 of theabsorbent assembly 200 that is intended to be placed against the body ofthe wearer. The upper covering sheet 24 preferably is formed of a softmaterial that will not irritate the skin of the wearer. Many materialsthat are suitable for a water-permeable covering sheet are well-known inthe art, including synthetic nonwovens such as spunbonded or cardedpolypropylene, polyester, or rayon. Likewise, many materials that aresuitable for a covering sheet that is water-impermeable are well-knownin the art, including the materials that are suitable for the centersheet 26.

The upper covering sheet 24 and the lower covering sheet 25 may extendto the same width and the same length. Alternatively, one or more of theedges of one of the covering sheets may lie distally relative to therespective edge or edges of the other covering sheet. For example, theupper covering sheet may extend longitudinally only to an extentsufficient to cover the absorbent core and the lower covering sheet mayextend longitudinally beyond the upper covering sheet toward or to theadjacent waist edge. Such an extended covering sheet may serve toisolate the skin of the wearer from a portion of the center sheet 26 asmay be desirable, for example, when the diaper 20 is worn underconditions in which contact between the skin and a center sheet filmcould be uncomfortable.

In the exemplary absorbent assembly 200 shown in FIG. 22 , FIG. 23 , andFIG. 24 , the upper covering sheet 24 and the lower covering sheet 25are of the same size, i.e., both the upper covering sheet 24 and thelower covering sheet 25 extend to the front edge 236 and back edge 238,as well as to both side edges 237 of the absorbent assembly 200.Alternatively, the upper covering sheet 24 and the lower covering sheet25 may differ in size. For example, the lower covering sheet 25 may belarger than the upper covering sheet 24 and may be wrapped over the sideedges 257 of the absorbent core 250 onto the interior surface of theabsorbent core 250, where the upper covering sheet 24 and the lowercovering sheet 25 may be attached together. Alternatively, in place of aseparate upper covering sheet 24 and a separate lower covering sheet 25,a single covering sheet may be wrapped around the absorbent core 250 andattached to itself to contain the absorbent core 250. Such a singlecovering sheet forms an upper layer and a lower layer when wrappedaround the absorbent core 250 and, in general, the description of theseparate upper covering sheet 24 and lower covering sheet 25 areintended to apply to such upper and lower layers of a wrapped singlecovering sheet.

The absorbent core 250 includes a storage component that serves toabsorb and retain liquid bodily waste materials. Suitable knownmaterials for the absorbent core storage component include cellulosefibers in the form of comminuted wood pulp, commonly known as “airfelt”,natural or synthetic fibrous materials, and superabsorbent polymers,used either singly or in mixtures and commonly formed into layers orsheets, etc. These absorbent materials may be used separately or incombination. Many known absorbent materials may be used in a discreteform, i.e., in the form of fibers, granules, particles, and the like.Such a discrete form of an absorbent material may be immobilized by anadhesive that attaches the discrete pieces together to form a coherentlayer or that attaches the discrete pieces to a substrate layer or thatattaches the discrete pieces both to each other and to the substratelayer.

The absorbent core may include an acquisition component in addition toone or more storage components. The absorbent core acquisition componentserves to acquire deposited liquid bodily waste material and transfer itto the absorbent core storage component. Any porous absorbent materialwhich will imbibe and partition liquid bodily waste material to thestorage component or components may be used to form the acquisitioncomponent. Preferred materials for the acquisition component includesynthetic fiber materials, open celled polymeric foam materials, fibrousnonwoven materials, cellulosic nonwoven materials, and variouscombination synthetic/cellulosic nonwoven materials. For example, theacquisition component may be formed of a nonwoven web or webs ofsynthetic fibers including polyester, polypropylene, and/orpolyethylene, natural fibers including cotton and/or cellulose, blendsof such fibers, or any equivalent materials or combinations ofmaterials. Examples of such acquisition materials are more fullydescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,264 issued to Osborn on Aug. 21, 1990.High loft nonwoven acquisition materials suitable for the acquisitioncomponent of the present invention can be obtained from Polymer Group,Inc., (PGI), 450 N.E. Blvd, Landisville, New Jersey 08326, U.S.A., underthe material code designation of 98920.

Such an absorbent core 250 including an acquisition component 290overlying an absorbent core storage component 272 is shown in FIG. 25 .A separation sheet 292 of, e.g., a tissue or a nonwoven material, may bedisposed between the absorbent core storage component 272 and theabsorbent core acquisition component 290 to help ensure that none of thegel formed by a superabsorbent polymer that may be included in theabsorbent core storage component reaches the skin of the wearer. Thisseparation sheet 292 may extend laterally beyond the side edges 257 aand 257 b of the absorbent core 250 and the upper covering sheet 24 maybe attached to the separation sheet 292. In this arrangement, the liquidbodily waste material that is deposited onto the upper covering sheet 24will pass through the thickness of the upper covering sheet 24 to beabsorbed by the absorbent core acquisition component 290, and some orall of it may then pass through the thickness of the separation sheet292 and then be absorbed and retained by the absorbent core storagecomponent 272.

In some exemplary embodiments, an absorbent core storage component mayinclude the discrete form of an absorbent material that is immobilizedin pockets formed by a layer of a thermoplastic material, such as a hotmelt adhesive, that intermittently contacts and adheres to a substratesheet, while diverging away from the substrate sheet at the pockets.Absorbent core components having such structures and being suitable forthe storage of liquid bodily wastes are described in U.S. patentapplications Ser. Nos. 10/776,839 and 10/776,851, both filed on Feb. 11,2004 in the name of Ehrnsperger et al. An exemplary absorbent corestorage component 272 having such a structure is shown in FIG. 26 . Inthis absorbent core storage component 272, particles 270 of asuperabsorbent polymer are contained inside pockets 280 formed by alayer 275 of a thermoplastic material. The absorbent core storagecomponent may include both particles of superabsorbent polymer andairfelt and both materials may be contained inside the pockets formed bythe layer of the thermoplastic material. Alternatively, as shown in FIG.26 , an exemplary absorbent core storage component may contain noairfelt and therefore the component can be made relatively thinner andmore flexible for the comfort of the wearer. In addition, the particlesof the superabsorbent polymer can be immobilized relatively more easilyin the absence of airfelt. As shown in FIG. 26 , the layer 275 of thethermoplastic material intermittently contacts and adheres to asubstrate sheet 274 at the areas of attachment 282. Between the areas ofattachment 282, the layer 275 diverges away from the substrate sheet 274to form the pockets 280. The layer 275 may have the form of a sheet offibers of the thermoplastic material through which the liquid waste maypass to the particles to be absorbed by the particles 270 of thesuperabsorbent polymer.

In FIG. 26 , a separate thermoplastic layer covering sheet 276 is shownoverlying the layer 275 of the thermoplastic material. Alternatively,the separate thermoplastic layer covering sheet 276 may be omitted. Asanother alternative, two absorbent core storage components each likethat shown in FIG. 26 except for the omission of the thermoplastic layercovering sheet 276 may be superposed with one absorbent core storagecomponent inverted such that the respective substrate sheets distallyoppose each other. In such a combination of absorbent core storagecomponents, either or both of the distally opposing substrate sheets mayserve respectively as either or both of an upper covering sheet and alower covering sheet for the absorbent assembly. Alternatively, theabsorbent assembly may include a separate lower covering sheet and/or aseparate upper covering sheet.

Statements of Incorporation by Reference and Intended Scope of Claims

The disclosures of all patents, patent applications and any patentswhich issue thereon, as well as any corresponding published foreignpatent applications, and all publications listed and/or referenced inthis description, are hereby incorporated herein by reference. It isexpressly not admitted that any of the documents or any combination ofthe documents incorporated herein by reference teaches or discloses thepresent invention.

While particular embodiments and/or individual features of the presentinvention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious tothose skilled in the art that various other changes and modificationscan be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. Further, it should be apparent that all combinations of suchembodiments and features are possible and can result in preferredexecutions of the invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intendedto cover all such changes and modifications that are within the scope ofthis invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A disposable absorbent article having a frontregion, a back region, and a central region disposed between the frontregion and the back region, the disposable absorbent article furthercomprising: a topsheet; a backsheet; an absorbent core disposed betweenthe topsheet and the backsheet; a first side edge and an opposing secondside edge; a first side flap and an opposing second side flap, each ofthe first and second side flaps forming at least a portion of thewearer-facing surface, each of the first and second side flapscomprising a first layer and a second layer, the first layer comprisinga first layer proximal edge and the second layer comprising a secondlayer proximal edge; wherein the second layer of the first side flapforms a portion of the first side edge and the second layer of thesecond side flap forms a portion of the second side edge; wherein thefirst layer and the second layer enclose at least one elastic strand;wherein the first layer proximal edge of the first side flap is disposedlaterally inward from the first side edge of the absorbent article andis attached to the backsheet, wherein second layer proximal edge of thefirst side flap is attached to the first layer of the first side flapand is attached to the backsheet, and wherein the second layer proximaledge is disposed laterally outboard from the first layer proximal edge;and wherein the first layer proximal edge of the second side flap isdisposed laterally inward from the second side edge of the absorbentarticle and is attached to the backsheet, and wherein the second layerproximal edge of the second flap is attached to the first layer of thesecond side flap and is attached to the backsheet, and wherein thesecond layer proximal edge is disposed laterally outboard from the firstlayer proximal edge.
 2. The disposable absorbent article of claim 1,wherein the absorbent core is asymmetric about a lateral axis of thearticle.
 3. The disposable absorbent article of claim 1, wherein thefirst layer extends laterally inward from the first layer proximal edge,and wherein the first layer is attached to the topsheet in the frontregion and back region.
 4. The disposable absorbent article of claim 1,wherein the absorbent core comprises wood pulp and superabsorbentpolymer.
 5. The disposable absorbent article of claim 1, wherein theside flaps are water vapor permeable.
 6. The disposable absorbentarticle of claim 1, wherein the side flaps comprise a nonwoven.
 7. Thedisposable absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the side flaps comprisea spunbond meltblown nonwoven.
 8. The disposable absorbent article ofclaim 1, wherein the article has a chassis that is hourglass-shaped. 9.The disposable absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the garment-facingsurface comprises a film.
 10. The disposable absorbent article of claim1, wherein the article is an incontinence article.
 11. The disposableabsorbent article of claim 10, wherein the incontinence article is adiaper.
 12. The disposable absorbent article of claim 1, wherein each ofthe pair of side flaps comprise a side flap proximal edge and an elasticstrand disposed adjacent to the side flap proximal edge.
 13. Thedisposable absorbent article of claim 12, wherein the elastic stranddoes not extend a full length of the first side flap or the second sideflap.
 14. The disposable absorbent article of claim 12, wherein thefirst layer and the second layer are attached to one another at anattachment zone, and wherein the elastic strand is disposed nearer tothe side flap proximal edge than the attachment zone.
 15. The disposableabsorbent article of claim 1, wherein the absorbent core furthercomprises an acquisition component, a storage component, and aseparation sheet disposed between the acquisition component and thestorage component.
 16. The disposable absorbent article of claim 15,wherein the separation sheet is a nonwoven material.
 17. The disposableabsorbent article of claim 15, wherein the absorbent core furthercomprises a lower covering sheet.
 18. The disposable absorbent articleof claim 1, wherein the side flaps comprise a discrete material.
 19. Thedisposable absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the first side flap andthe second side flap comprise a crease in a crotch region of thedisposable absorbent article.